Secondary reaction kinetics of pyrolytic volatiles from pelletized wood wastes with steam
- Princeton Univ., NJ
Previous research at Princeton has shown pyrolylsis/steam reforming of biomass materials to be a two step process. At relatively low temperaturess (300/sup 0/ to 500/sup 0/C) biomass pyrolyzes, producing a char and volatiles. At somewhat higher temperatures (550/sup 0/ to 700/sup 0/C) the volatiles react with steam to produce a hydrocarbon rich synthesis gas. Oil and tar production is greatly reduced by the steam reforming step; however, some water soluble compounds (methanol, acetaldehyde, etc.) remain. At significantly higher temperatures the water gas reaction can be used to gasify the char residue, but the demanding conditions required make char gasification of lesser interest in the design of an economical gasifier. In this paper we examine the influence of temperature and residence time on the secondary, gas phase reactions of pyrolysis volatiles from red alder pellets with steam. The data presented is sufficient to define measured rates of gaseous species production for CO, CO/sub 2/, H/sub 2/, CH/sub 4/, C/sub 2/H/sub 4/, C/sub 2/H/sub 6/, C/sub 3/H/sub 6/, and C/sub 3/H/sub 8/. Somewhat more data is needed to identify reaction mechanisms, activation energies, orders, and other reaction parameters. Of the conditions studied, residence times of 6 to 9 seconds at 700/sup 0/C produces the largest quantity of medium Btu gas from the pellets. The quantity of gas produced is less than one-half that obtained from cellulose under similar conditions. This relative paucity of gas yield may be an artifact of the pelletizing process, or it may reflect an inherent difficulty in gasifying red alder wood. Of course, more extreme conditions than those examined here could be used to obtain higher gas yields. However, the high cost of reactors utilizing extreme conditions mitigates against their use for biomass gasification. More research is needed to determine the desirability of pelletized fuels for gasification processes, and the optimal conditions for steam pyrolysis/gasification of biomass.
- OSTI ID:
- 6115186
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-780902-P4
- Journal Information:
- Prepr., Div. Pet. Chem., Am. Chem. Soc.; (United States), Vol. 23:4; Conference: American Chemical Society meeting, Miami, FL, USA, 10 Sep 1978
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Catalyzed steam gasification of biomass. Phase II. Final research report
Study of the steam gasification of organic wastes
Related Subjects
WOOD WASTES
PYROLYSIS
BIOMASS
CHEMICAL REACTION KINETICS
STEAM REFORMER PROCESSES
YIELDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY SOURCES
KINETICS
REACTION KINETICS
REFORMER PROCESSES
RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
SOLID WASTES
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
WASTES
090122* - Hydrocarbon Fuels- Preparation from Wastes or Biomass- (1976-1989)
140504 - Solar Energy Conversion- Biomass Production & Conversion- (-1989)